Everywhere and In Between
by NyxNightmare
Summary: They had been friends for years; she was the only constant in his life. However, she was compelled to leave the village on her own, and disappeared for years. When she returns, can they realize how much they really mean to each other? KakashiXOC
1. Prolouge

Kakashi Hatake was a talented child. At a young age, he was promoted to chunin after a single year of being a genin. At an even younger age, he attended the academy and was quickly the top in his class. However, his classmates didn't appreciate his attitude, or his superiority.

"Kakashi, you just think you're sooo special, being sensei's favorite. But you look like an old man with that grey hair! I bet you're wrinkly and old under that mask!"

Kakashi just stared ahead and tried to ignore the taunting. This happened a lot, so he was used to it. People always picked on him for stupid reasons like this; he supposed they were just jealous.

Before the loud-mouthed kid could open their mouth again, a tiny figure clad in purple appeared, flying through to air to deliver a kick to the kid's mouth.

"Hey! Leave Hatake-san alone!"

An annoyingly loud voice exited the purple entity's mouth as she stood proudly on Kakashi's desk with her back to him. Her straight brown hair lay flat against her back, as she firmly placed her small hands on her hips.

The kids who had been picking on Kakashi growled and shuffled away, muttering in her general direction. However, judging by the broad smile she flashed him as she squatted down in front of him, she didn't mind.

She sat there, stupidly grinning at him, while he looked at her rather bored.

"I didn't need your help you know." Kakashi stated in a monotone. The grin slid from her face as the young girl cocked her eyebrow.

"No gratitude? I just saved you from endless annoyances from those guys! My name is Emiko Miwaku! You can write that on the thank you card you send me with a bouquet of flowers!"

"But now I'm dealing with annoyances from you. So, no, I'm not thanking you."

"…"

From that day forth, Emiko Miwaku was Kakashi Hatake's friend.

;

"Who does she think she is, just being all wonderful like that? With her stupid good looks, and her stupid gorgeous pink hair, and her stupid ninjutsu ability, and her stupid perfect aim, and…" Emiko drifted off, looking down dejectedly. Emiko was of course talking about Kiyomi Zai; her teammate and greatest rival.

Kakashi rubbed his head awkwardly, looking sheepish. "You know, you don't need to be so preoccupied with her. Focus on you. You're not too bad yourself." He put his hand on her shoulder, and flashed a smile. Of course, she couldn't see his actual smile, but she could tell it was there from his one exposed eye.

She allowed herself a small smile, "Yeah, I am pretty great, aren't I?" Kakashi chuckled and shook his head, removing his hand from her shoulder.

"And so modest too…"

;

As Kakashi's feet met the ground, he knew he had found her. The unfortunate part was that she was here of all places.

He turned toward the stone and saw a girl clad in a purple shirt, with long dark brown hair shaking in front of the memorial stone. He didn't know if she was shaking from the cold rain that had fallen on Konoha for several hours, or if she was crying. He didn't stand there pondering it.

He approached her slowly until he was at her side. Her arms were wrapped around torso, shivering from the cold, while quiet sobs escaped her lips. So it was both.

He looked down sadly, staring at his feet, his arms hanging loosely at his sides.

"Emiko… I'm sorry…" He muttered. However, he knew these words would be little comfort. As he said them, a louder sob escaped her. She didn't say anything.

"Look, I know it's hard. I lost my parents too, but, you can't just stand here cry-"

"Kakashi, just shut up." She garbled, furiously wiping at her eyes with her sleeve. Kakashi fell silent, and sent a sad, sideways glance at her. Emiko's eyes were red and puffy, and her wet hair clung to her face. She made no attempt to move it.

Kakashi sighed, and grabbed the arm that was wiping her eyes, his hand sliding down to meet hers. She sent him a watery look; he just stared down at the memorial stone.

"This is what you told me over a year ago: I'm not going to make you listen to me. But, I'm going to hold your hand and help you through this. If you need a shoulder to lean on, an arm to protect you, or a friend to listen, that's me." He muttered, his voice barely loud enough to be heard over the rain. But, Emiko heard it. She squeezed his hand, made a fist with the other, and continued to sob without another word exchanged between the two.

;

A woman with long brown hair held up in two pigtails took slow strides towards the gates leading to the forest outside Konoha. She carried a backpack with everything she owned, having disposed or sold everything else. Her leaf headband glinted brightly in the sunlight as it casually hung at her waist. Her light blue eyes reflected the sky as she gazed upwards, paying little attention to where she was going. Luckily, her feet knew where to lead her.

Those feet slowed to a stop when she heard a very familiar voice come from behind her.

"Going somewhere?"

Kakashi leaned against a building near the edge of town, his hands stuffed in his pockets. He too looked at that sky.

"…."

He sighed at her lack of response, and got off the wall. She heard his footsteps coming behind her until he firmly planted his two hands on her two shoulders as he let out a loud sigh.

"Why are you doing this, Em?" he asked her, his voice barely more audible than a whisper.

"… You know why, Kakashi." She muttered, her gaze shifting from the sky to the ground at her feet. He tightened his grip on her shoulders.

"You don't have to go, you know."

"Yes, I do have to. You know that."

"It doesn't matter if you've sold your house. I have a couch."

"You're not funny."

"I'll even let you share my bed!"

"Haha, no."

"…"

"…"

A heavy silence was shared between them for several moments, until Kakashi spoke up once more.

"… Please don't leave."

"Kakashi…" Emiko sighed, her hands tightening into fists, as she tried to contain her emotions. She was never good with that particular shinobi rule.

"Listen; I know I'm being selfish, but it's just too hard to picture you gone. We've been best friends since we were six… You're the only one left…"

Emiko tensed. She wanted to turn around and give him a huge bear hug, and tell him how much he meant to her, and that she'll miss him more than anything else, and that she wishes she could just stay, but she couldn't. For once, she had to be the strong one.

"I'll be back, Kakashi. It's not like this is goobye."

"But who knows when you'll come back!"

"The point is, I'll be back." Her voice shook on the last word. She mentally swore as she felt the tears welling up; it was time to go.

"… Promise?" He whispered. She took a second to calm down, as a single tear managed to escape her eyelids. Single tear rolling down her cheek, she turned around to face him with a struggled smile.

"Promise."

And Kakashi's hands fell to his sides as the shoulders that he was holding with them disappeared.

;

Years passed.

And she didn't come back.

Kakashi still waited.

;

An empty-handed kunoichi slowly walked through the forest path, admiring the trees around her. It had only been a few years, but everything seemed aged. Her short brown hair was tied up in a messy ponytail and her lengthy bangs were parted to expose the lead symbol proudly residing on her headband. Her breath caught in her throat as she looked forward and saw the village gates in the distance.

_'Konoha… It's been too long."_


	2. Return

**Greetings :D**

**Basically, I was super motivated after actually receiving reviews on the first chapter, so I started writing this one right away! I really appreciate the support, so I hope you all enjoy this super quick update! **

**Anyways, just a quick note: Throughout the entire story, there will be flashbacks to Emiko's past. This way, instead of me just explaining her life story, it's slowly built piece by piece. My hope is that by the time I finish this story, all her necessary history is known through pretty much just the flashbacks alone. Hopefully the change in timeline doesn't get confusing. If it does, let me know so I can fix it up a bit ;D**

**So, thanks for reading! Now enjoy the double length chapter :)**

**;**

Izumo and Kotetsu sensed someone approaching in the distance and turned to look in the forest. A woman with a red leaf headband on her forehead and short brown hair in a ponytail was approaching them slowly. As she got closer, they were able to make out her blue eyes that were the same color as the sky overhead. She wore a black skirt with slits on the sides for easier movement; fishnet shorts were underneath. She wore a loose black long-sleeved top and basic black ninja sandals. She carried nothing but the pouches attached to her clothing.

It took Izumo a moment, but his face erupted into a smile as he called out her name. "Emiko!"

The woman paused a moment to glance at them before her face mirrored his grin and she sprinted towards them.

"Izumo! Kotetsu! I haven't seen you guys in forever!" She said excitably. Kotetsu laughed finally recognizing her.

"Well well, I was wondering if I'd ever see you around her again. What's it been? Four, five years?" Kotetsu asked, giving her a friendly one-armed hug.

"Something like that, yes." She mused, suddenly staring off into the distance.

"I'd love to stay and chat, but I have some unfinished business to attend to... Oh, and I need to see old man Hokage." She added thoughtfully, flashing them a quick grin. Before they could return it though, she was gone.

Kotetsu blinked and turned to Izumo. "Since when could she move that fast?"

;

A young Emiko stood in between her two teammates, Kiyomi and Daisuke. She puffed out her cheeks and clutched her shuriken tightly, getting ready to move.

"Alright guys, you know the drill. Run from that rock to those trees, and immediately start hitting the targets when you get there." Satoshi-sensei announced, his hands casually behind his head.

"Ready and… go!" The three genin immediately burst towards the trees, but one was soon lagging behind. Daisuke got there first; he was the fastest genin in the village. As he was half way through his targets, Kiyomi met the trees, forcing chakra to her feet to increase her speed. As both Daisuke and Kiyomi neared the end of the drill, Emiko let out a battle cry as she struck her first target.

…

Satoshi-sensei sighed as Emiko rejoined the group in their line, looking highly dejected. She had lagged behind the other two by a considerable amount… again.

"Daisuke, well done. You're as fast as most chunin! Kiyomi, you too. You're at a good place for a genin. And Emiko…" she raised her head hopefully as Satoshi-sensei tried to form the right words.

"How do I put this… you're the slowest genin I've ever met. It's not like you don't have stamina or energy, you're just… really slow." He finished, a finger on his chin. Emiko slouched, all hope washing from her face. Daisuke struggled to contain a cocky smirk and Kiyomi gave Emiko a concerned glance.

"I-I think Emiko did quite good…" the pink-haired kunoichi started saying. However, Emiko's sharp glare cut her off.

"Don't try to spare my feelings, Kiyomi…" she growled, facing back towards the ground. Kiyomi fell silent.

…

That night, a young masked ninja, with gravity-defying grey hair took a midnight stroll to the training ground to find it was surprisingly not empty. A short girl with her hair in a bun and light purple shirt was sprinting back and forth through the trees, the occasional kunai leaving her hands. They always met their target.

However, Kakashi could tell the girl was sluggish; slow for a ninja. Immediately, he knew who it was.

"What are you doing out so late, Emiko?" He called. The sprinting girl let out a yep and skidded to a stop. Kakashi nearly chuckled as he walked up to her.

"I'm training. You know, that's what the training ground is for…" She muttered, panting. She looked exhausted; he could tell she'd been at this for a while.

"Yeah, but it's midnight; past your bedtime. You should go home." He retorted in his default monotone. She gave him a look of annoyance before she struggled to rearrange her facial expression. He watched as the look in her eyes changed, losing their fierceness, and her mouth twitched.

Then she dropped to her knees with a frustrated cry.

"I can't, Kakashi! I need to keep practicing!" she yelled, slightly hysterical. Kakashi was taken aback by this sudden change, and didn't know what to do. So he just watched her.

"I'm so slow! That's why they held me back in the academy! And even when I finally make genin, Satoshi-sensei says I'm the slowest ninja in the village! I go running every day, and I do sprints every day, and I try to force chakra to my feet like stupid Kiyomi does, but I never get better!" She let out, balling her hands into fists. Kakashi knelt down beside the upset girl, looking at the stars.

"It's a rule for shinobi to not show emotion, Emiko." He muttered. She stayed silent, panting from her outburst, her shoulders slumping at his words.

"One day… one day, I'm going to show everyone. They all make fun of me because I'm slow…" She muttered. He looked at her, and she looked up, the fire returning to her eyes.

"One day, I'm going to be the fastest kunoichi in the whole village! I promise!"

This time, he couldn't contain a chuckle.

;

After speeding off from the village gates with full intentions to go see the Hokage, Emiko couldn't help but slow down as she reached the main street. A smile found its way onto her face as she slowed to a walk, taking in everything. It had changed, but it still had the same charm as it did the last time she was there. Ichiraku smelled like heaven, and her stomach rumbled at the thought of a good, cooked meal. It had been a while since she had the luxury of buying a warm meal. However, that wasn't the food she was looking forward to. Right near the Hokage's building, she saw it; her favorite place in the whole world: Konoha Sushi.

It was an all-you-can-eat sushi buffet, and she could eat a considerable amount. Sushi was pretty much her favorite thing in the world, and this was the best sushi you could get. Before she realized what was happening, her feet strayed from her path, heading towards Konoha Sushi, her mouth starting to salivate. Altogether, not the most attractive thing, she was sure, but it was sushi!

When she reached the door, it was like reaching the pearly gates of heaven.

Until she pulled on the handle, and the pearly gates decided they didn't want to let her in.

All the emotional burdens she'd been carrying for nearly five years reached the breaking point right then and there. It was closed. Emiko let out a strangled cry of distraught and felt her shoulders slump. She supposed she didn't have the money for it anyways… but it was nearly like someone had taken a piece of her soul.

Thoroughly upset, she turned around and shambled back towards the Hokage's building, now dragging her feet rather unenthusiastically.

;

And so, the heroine of our adventure across Konoha reached her goal; the door to Lord Hokage's office. A bit of her smile returning, she opened the door without announcing herself and bounded in.

"OLD MAN HOKAAAAAAAAGE!" she yelled in a fit of excitement, rushing up to the desk. Sarutobi raised his eyes from the mission report he was reading to look right into Emiko's blue ones, just inches away from his own.

He smiled, and put down the report.

"Emiko, welcome back. I was wondering if you were ever going to return." He said in a welcoming voice. Emiko grinned, stepped back, and rubbed the back of her head.

"Well, it took me a while, but I found the way to Konoha. You wouldn't believe how much I accomplished, old man! Imagine: me, accomplishing things! You're pretty amazed, right?" She let out in a proud voice. The hokage chuckled appreciatively.

"I am indeed, Emiko. It's good to have you return. Does this mean you'll be returning to ANBU, or are you resuming your jounin duties?" He asked. Emiko looked shocked.

"Just… just like that? I get to choose?" She inquired, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well, yes. I know you never liked ANBU, but I also know the circumstances under which you joined. For the record, the medical ninja count in ANBU is rather good right now, so it's not like that situation is still in place." A sad smile crossed Emiko's face as flashes from her ANBU days came back. They weren't the best of days.

"Nah, I'm just going to play jounin this time around, old man. I would appreciate it if for a while I could be based closer to home, though. I've really missed Konoha." At this, the Hokage smiled and nodded.

"Very well. And lastly, do you have a place to stay..?" Emiko shrugged, living arrangements not being her primary focus.

"I have the money from selling my parent's house still, along with everything I didn't spend while I was gone. I'll just re-rent an apartment. Should that fail, I can mooch." She finished with a mischievous grin, and the Hokage chuckled once more.

"Alright then. I won't keep you any longer then. No doubt, you need to get re-acquainted with your home."

Emiko thanked him and sped back out the door, knowing exactly who she wanted to find and where to find him.

;

When Emiko touched ground at the KIA stone, she was surprised to find no one around. Sighing, she decided it'd be best to wait from him to show up. Until then, she could visit some of her other precious friends.

She walked up to the stone, eyes searching for their names. They popped out at her with ease.

_'Daisuke Hayashi… Satoshi Ishin… Aki Miwaku… Saito Miwaku…' _And the ANBU circumstance herself,

_'….. Kiyomi… Zai…'_

;

As the sun was falling, seventeen year-old Emiko Miwaku stood up from her spot at the village gates, and started walking home. She walked without a smile on her face; a rare occurrence for the joyful jounin. Her two closest friends were three days late returning from their mission; that was usually a bad sign for a shinobi. However, she had faith that with Kakashi as their team leader, they'd return safe and sound.

ANBU was still recovering from the attack of the nine tails a few years ago. Even though they had time to recover, they'd lost a lot of their most valuable ninja. A lot of those valuable ninja included a good chunk of their ANBU officers trained in medical ninjutsu.

As a result, when especially dangerous missions like the one Kakashi was now leading came up, ANBU needed to borrow some of the hospital's top medics to provide care for the squads. This time around, Kiyomi Zai was selected to accompany an ANBU team of three on a top secret mission with a high chance of casualty. Kiyomi came from a long line of talented healers, and even at chunin level, was considered to be one of the best.

Emiko didn't want her to go. She herself had been training and honing her medical skills under no other than Lady Tsunade. She volunteered to go instead, but the decision had been final.

And they had still not returned.

Sighing, Emiko returned to her lonely apartment and helped herself to a generous serving of stir-fry leftovers. After that, it wasn't long before she went to bed, and fell asleep, her head full of worries for her close chunin friend who was risking her life on a mission way beyond her.

…

She jerked awake when she heard a knock at the door. A quick glance at the window told her it was still night; darkness surrounded Konoha. Only one person ever visited her so late; usually to announce his return from a dangerous or lengthy mission.

She bounded out of bed and rushed to the door, opening it to reveal a disheveled, exhausted, but very much alive Kakashi. A joyful smile crossed her face, and she threw her arms around him in a friendly hug.

"You're always late! It's been three day, I was so worried about you and Kiyomi!" She said, smiling against his stinking ANBU vest. When he didn't chuckle, or say anything back, she knew something was wrong. Her eyes opening in surprise, she took a step back. Kakashi looked hesitant, and very distraught.

"Uhm, well…" He started, struggling to find the right words.

"I have the unfortunate job of being the one to tell you this.. I'm really sorry, Em, but… Kiyomi… Kiyomi didn't return with us. She's dead."

Emiko faintly heard the world crashing down outside her window as her body went rigid and she stared at Kakashi in horror.

And then she fell to her knees and burst into tears.

…

She entered the Hokage's office upon his command to do so, her face sullen and her eyes determined.

"Lord Hokage…" she started. He raised an eyebrow.

"No old man? This must be serious…" She didn't acknowledge his half-joke.

"I formally request to join the ANBU Black Ops in place of being a village jounin." she announced, eyes hardening as she said it. The hokage took a puff on his pipe and motioned for her to explain.

"As you know, I just recently became a jounin, and finished training under Tsunade… She's passed down extensive medical knowledge to me, along with techniques unique to her. I've proven myself to the village to be a decent ninja and a good medic. ANBU needs members who are proficient with medical jutsu. They can't rely on… on… other village medics." Her voice broke, but she fought to keep her eyes strong.

"… One of my best friends died because of ANBU's lack of medical ninja. Which is no one's fault, but it's still not a favorable situation. I want to join to be that medical ninja. I know I can't be on every mission at once… but even if just for a little bit, some teams take me instead of untrained healers… just while they complete training other members… I know I can make a difference... I promise I can make a difference." Emiko finished, her voice fading to a whisper by the end of her speech. Her face showed sadness, but determination was still in her eyes, and that's how the Hokage knew she could handle it.

"… Very well, I'll submit your name to the ANBU captain."

"… Thanks, old man."

;

Emiko smiled sadly at the KIA stone, shaking her head clear of ANBU memories. It was behind her now, and she had finally reached her goals.

"Excuse me, miss, but you're in my spot."

A rather bored voice came from a few feet behind her, and Emiko jumped in shock, having been so absorbed in memories, she didn't notice another presence. She was about to react when she realized how well she knew that voice. A true smile reached her eyes, which she closed for a moment, knowing she was going to scare the shit out of him. She opened her bright blue orbs, and turned to face her favorite person in the world.

"I was hoping you'd show up here, Kakashi." she grinned widely at him, placing her hands on her hips. His one visible eye widened considerably as he dropped an orange book he had been reading.

"Emiko…" he muttered, seemingly unable to fully accept her presence. She laughed heartily before strolling up to him and placing two hands on his shoulders, glancing up at him.

"Long time no see, Baka-Kaka." She mused, looking at him with amusement. He met her eyes.

"… You're back." He muttered, in disbelief. She caught the note of disbelief and frowned.

"You don't need to sound so surprised. I promised I'd come back!" She said, with mock annoyance. He still seemed stunned.

"Yeah, but… still, you took so long…" Emiko tch'd, and crossed her arms, looking angrily pouty.

"I never break my promises, stupid! That's my way of the ninja! I promise!"


	3. Old Friends

Kakashi felt his eyes soften, and a chuckle escaped him.

"It really must be you. No other woman in their mid-twenties would possibly act so childish…" he muttered, a hint of joking in his eyes. Emiko gave him that fake pouting look a minute longer, before allowing her composure to break, and rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.

"I'm not that childish, stupid…" She then grinned wildly and leaped at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Kakashi stumbled, taken by surprise for a second, before chuckling warmly and hugging her back.

"I missed you tons, Kakashi." Emiko muttered into his shoulder, giving him a tight squeeze.

"… I missed you too, Em. We have a lot of catching up to do." He replied, releasing her. She leaped back, the grin not leaving her face.

"Yeah!... But first, you have to treat me to some Konoha cuisine. I'm staaaarving!" As if on cue, her stomach gave a tremendous growl. Kakashi gave her an exasperated look.

"You haven't changed one bit, I see. Still putting your stomach first… Just give me a second, and we'll head into town." He finished with a sigh, walking close to the memorial stone. Emiko fell silent, allowing Kakashi to gaze at the stone for a moment, lost in his own thoughts. Emiko's smile faded, as she watched Kakashi's back.

_'You haven't changed one bit either, Kakashi. Still visiting Obito every day, I see…' _

Kakashi took another few seconds, before turning on his heel, pulling on her arm along the way.

"Come on slow poke, let's get you fed so I can go meet my team, or I'll be late." He announced. She growled at the slow poke comment, before the second part of his sentence registered. Emiko pulled her arm away, her eyes widening.

"W-What? YOU lead a team of genin?" She inquired, shock evident in her voice. Kakashi raised his one visible eyebrow.

"Well, yeah.." She stared at him, gaping.

"What in the world was old man Hokage thinking?"

"Shut up."

She responded with a wide grin and a bit of a giggle.

"So, what are these kids like?" she inquired, casually putting her hands behind her head as they walked. Kakashi thought carefully for a moment.

"I think you'd like them a lot." was all he answered. Emiko sighed.

"You're a man of few words, as always," She shook her head, a smile still tugging on her lips. "You haven't seen me for nearly five years, and that's all you have to say? Come on, you can do better. Fill me in on what I've been missing!" she demanded. Kakashi shook his head, amusement in his visible eye.

"Well… One of them is the last of the Uchiha clan. Sasuke. He was the top of the academy, and is definitely the most talented of the three. He seems pretty bent on revenge." Emiko nodded, motioning for him to continue.

"The girl member is named Sakura. She's definitely the smartest, though her ninjutsu may be lacking a bit. She seems to have more interest in chasing Sasuke than training. However, I think she'll interest you a lot…" Emiko raised a puzzled eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" Kakashi ignored her question.

"And then there's Naruto. He's the slowest, loudest and stupidest member of the group. He reminds me of you when you were a genin." He finished with a smile directed at her. A vein popped on Emiko's forehead.

"Why, you-"

"He has the nine-tailed fox inside of him." Kakashi cut her off and her eyes widened, anger forgotten.

"He's the kid? Huh. Interesting team then. An Uchiha, and the nine-tails." she mused, sincerely curious. By now, they had reached the town, and Kakashi pushed aside the curtains in front of Ichiraku so she could walk in. She gave him a smirk.

"Chivalry isn't dead, I see." He chuckled and followed in behind her, taking their seats.

Teuchi sent them both a wide smile, "Welcome to Ichiraku! What can I get for you?"

"Just one miso ramen for the young lady over here." Kakashi said, pointing at Emiko. She flashed a smile, and a minute later, the ramen was put down in front of her.

"You're not gonna eat?" She inquired, already breaking her chopsticks. He shook his head, with a closed-eye smile.

"I already ate this morning. Go ahead." She gave him a thumbs up and dove right in, immediately slurping up a large chunk of noodles. Kakashi gave a look of pure exasperation.

"When I said young lady? I take it back. You have got to be the most un-ladylike woman in the village…" Emiko tried and failed to give him a grumpy look, but was too busy enjoying her food. In a matter of minutes, she was done with a satisfied sigh.

"That was the best meal I've had all year. Kakashi, pay the lovely man." He stared at her for a second, seemingly deciding if he should actually pay or not, but in the end threw some money onto the counter. Teuchi thanked him, and then Emiko followed him out with a smile.

"Thaaaaaaaanks, Baka-Kaka! Now take me somewhere entertaining!" Kakashi shook his head, turning towards the direction of the training grounds.

"I already told you I have to meet my team. You can come too and meet them; that'll be entertaining enough." Emiko agreed enthusiastically. As they walked, she rambled on about the poor quality of the food she ate during her four-and-a-half years away from the village. Kakashi only half listened, but smiled the whole time. After the initial shock of her return, it was like she never left. For that, he was glad.

;

When they got to the training ground, the first thing Emiko saw was a yellow haired boy in bright orange jump in front of them and point accusingly at Kakashi.

"You're late, Kakashi-sensei!" he stated loudly.

Kakashi shrugged, "Sorry. I came across a beautiful woman who was really hungry, so I had to buy her lunch."

"YOU'RE LYING!" The yellow haired boy accused further. Two more people came up behind him, but Emiko didn't see them clearly. Instead, she focused on the kid clad in orange, laughing.

"No, he's actually telling the truth." she stated with a smile. The yellow-haired boy turned to her in surprise, obviously not having noticed her before. She pointed at him excitably.

"Oh, oh, Kakashi! Is this Naruto?" she grinned, "You're right, he's exactly like I was."

Kakashi sighed and nodded, confirming Naruto's identity. "You still are like that."

"No I'm not!"

Suddenly, they all heard the girl clear her throat, stepping into view.

"Kakashi-sensei, who is this woman?" she asked, sending Emiko a curious glance.

Emiko stopped, her breath catching in her throat and her eyes widening as she took in the girl's appearance.

_'Th-there's no way…'_

Kakashi smiled, "This is my old friend, Emiko Miwaku. She left a few years ago to travel around and train and she just got back. I thought I'd bring her to meet you guys."

Naruto turned to her, ready to say hello, when they all noticed her rigid stance.

He leaped in front of her, waving a hand in front of her face.

"Hello, lady? Are you alright?" Emiko let out a gasp, and shook her head clear, glancing at Kakashi who was giving her a meaningful look. Sakura was the spitting image of Kiyomi.

;

Emiko sat in the middle of the training ground, her new headband signifying her as a leaf ninja hanging casually around her neck. She crossed her arms across her chest with a cocky smile, as she waited. The numbers in the academy were strange this year, and as a result, there weren't enough people to make even three-man cells. Instead, she was assigned to an existing team whose third member had already risen to chunin, and didn't associate with them anymore.

She had gotten there extra early, eager to start. Shortly, however, she saw three figures moving in from the distance.

The tallest one was wearing a normal jounin uniform, his headband on his head. He had long, choppy black hair and very tan skin. He had a goatee, and from a distance, she could still see his piercing green eyes.

The boy beside him has messy brown hair and navy eyes. He wore black shorts and a dark green zip-up sweater with black pockets. His headband was tied around his arm. Emiko's eyes lingered on him for an extra moment, before she blushed, realizing what she was doing; he was really attractive.

Lastly, was the girl of the original team. She had long pink hair and violet eyes. Her forehead protector was tied around her head like a hairband. She wore a light blue wrap around sleeveless shirt held closed with a tight navy sash and a dark blue skirt that fell to a few inches above her knees. One thing was quickly apparent to Emiko; and it was that this girl was very beautiful for a ten year old.

When they reached her, the girl and the sensei smiled in greeting. The boy just nodded.

"You must be Emiko!" The sensei spoke up. "Glad to have you on the team. I'll be your sensei, Satoshi Ishin. This girl over here is Kiyomi Zai, and this is Daisuke Hayashi. From now on, we're a team."

Emiko smiled at them all, though rather hesitantly at Kiyomi Zai. In her gut, she was already feeling jealous of the girl.

;

Emiko smiled apologetically, and rubbed the back of her head, glancing at Sakura.

"Hehe, sorry about that, you just look a lot like an old friend of mine, so I was surprised is all. It's great to meet you guys. You must be Sakura. Which makes you…" She glanced around Naruto to see a raven haired boy crossing his arms, looking rather uninterested in the current proceedings. She smiled. "Sasuke!"

Kakashi nodded. "That's right. Anyways, squad seven, we have a mission today from Lord Hokage. We should head over there." Emiko noted how they all looked slightly crestfallen at the sound of a mission. Her eyes widened. And then,

"EWWW, genin missions! Oh, you poor kids." She rearranged her facial expression into one that would be appropriate at a funeral. Kakashi assumed his default expression when around Emiko; one of exasperation.

"You're really not helping." He stated blandly, indicating the genin, who seemed even more disappointed after her sympathy towards them.

Emiko shrugged, already walking the other way, "Sorry about that! Well, I'm going to go apartment hunting, or something. I'd loooove to stick around and watch you… do a mission or whatever, but… I don't want to." She turned around to flash them a peace sign and a joking smile before running off towards town. As she left, Kakashi sighed and Naruto gave him a suspicious look.

"Kakashi-sensei… Is that your girlfriend?" Kakashi sent him an incredulous look.

"Absolutely not. Let's go get our mission from Lord Hokage."

And so they set off.

;

Emiko wandered the city, wondering how best to go about obtaining a place to live. When her parents died, the Hokage had organized her living quarters. After a minute of wandering, she decided to go see the landlord of her old apartment building, and hoped she was still around.

The building had changed since Emiko left; the many cracks had been fixed, the windows had been replaced, and the walls had been repainted; the whole building just looked much better as a whole. With a smile, she banged on the door to where the land-lady used to live.

Luckily, she still lived there.

A short old lady answered the door, squinting to look around. She had large, thick, round glasses which still didn't help her much, as she was practically blind. She was covered in numerous cloaks, shawls, and scarves, though she wore nothing but wooden sandals on her feet. Her hair was worn in a hectic, messy bun held in by what Emiko noticed to be a toothbrush and a pencil, as opposed to regular chopsticks.

"YES, YES. WHO'S THERE?" the old lady wondered out loud, whipping her head back and forth. Emiko smiled widely and fondly; this was her favorite old lady in the world.

"Up here, granny Chieko! It's me, Emiko!" she said, laughing. The old lady's gaze only met Emiko's waist, being so small. She gazed up, her large glasses magnifying her eyes in a rather ridiculous manner. She paused a minute, carefully taking in Emiko's appearance before agreeing it was her.

"Little Emi! Is that really you? Come in, come in! We must have some tea and chat. When you stopped coming here every week to visit me, I though you died!" Her voice was aged with wisdom, but somehow still had a childish, innocent tone to it. Emiko shook her head as she followed Chieko into her home.

"No, Granny. I told you I was going training for a few years when I handed in my house key!" the old lady stayed silent for another second, pulling a chair out at the kitchen table for Emiko to sit on, before going to turn on the kettle.

"… No, I don't think I remember that." She said, shuffling around the kitchen. Emiko let out an amused giggle.

"You haven't changed one bit, Granny. Your memory's still nearly as bad as your eyesight." Chieko chuckled, putting Emiko's tea down in front of her, and then sat on the other side of the small table, her feet not touching the floor.

"So, tell me about your journeys, dear. Where'd you go?" Chieko asked warmly. Emiko cleared her throat, ready to go into a long speech.

"I pretty much went everywhere that didn't have a hidden village. Land of Tea, Land of Birds, Land of Noodles, Land of the Sea… I particularly liked the Land of Noodles." She stated with a smile. Chieko chuckled again.

"Along the way though, I trained. My focus was mastering my kekkei genkai, and picking up my speed. However, I still learned other things. Along the way, I met up with Master Jiraiya for a few months, and he taught me for a bit. Then, he put me in contact with other people he knew who'd be willing to train me." She sipped her tea, noting how great it was; Chieko always made the best tea somehow.

"It was also a bit of a self-journey, I guess. I learned a lot about myself. It was hard though. I really missed the Leaf Village while I was gone. Sometimes, it took a lot of will power to refrain from coming back. But, I knew I couldn't come back until I felt I was ready. That moment came about four and a half years of training." She paused to take another sip of tea as Chieko patiently waited for her to continue.

"Have you ever heard of Takurami, the illusion master?" Emiko asked with a smile. The old lady remained silent for a moment before nodding slowly.

"Yes, I do believe the name rings a bell.." Emiko sighed, staring at her tea with a faint smile.

"My Miegan specializes in entrancing opponents and casting illusions. When I felt confident in what I'd done over four years, I wanted to test my skills against him. I knew if I could beat him, my training would be done. My use of the Miegan used to be abysmal, and I was no good with genjutsu before… so, it would've been a tremendous accomplishment if I could even stand against him. So, I started seeking him out. After a few months, I finally found him on the outskirts of the Land of Lighting. I challenged him, and he accepted. It was the hardest battle I'd ever fought, but… in the end, I beat him. It wasn't a fight to the death, so he's still alive and well, but… I won. And after that, I knew it was time to come home."

Emiko finished by downing the rest of her tea while Chieko smiled.

"Sounds like you really have grown then. I'm impressed, Emi." Emiko smiled widely and chuckled, rubbing the back of her head.

"I know, I can't wait to show off some of my new techniques to everyone! They'll all be blown away!" Chieko laughed, collecting their tea cups and putting them in the sink.

"I'm sure they will. Now, tell me what can I do for you? I doubt you came back and decided to make your first priority catching up with this old woman. I may be senile, but I'm not stupid." She gave another maniacal laugh at her own words. Emiko just laughed nervously.

"Hehe, well… seeing as I'm back in the Leaf Village, I need a place to stay. I was wondering if you have any apartments free." The old lady looked thoughtful for a moment, before she disappeared into another room, coming back with a ridiculously large binder that looked much too heavy for such a small lady to carry. She put it down on the table, where it made a loud crash upon impact. Chieko adjusted her glasses in a business-like manner, though it looked rather comical due to her eye magnification, and cracked open a random spot in the binder.

Emiko watched in awe as the old lady expertly flipped through the pages, her pupils nearly vibrating as they read over the information.

_'Heh… so much for being blind as a bat.'_

The old lady did this for another moment, before closing the book with a satisfied smile.

"I can have an apartment ready for you in one week." She said, once again adjusting her large glasses on her nose. Emiko frowned.

"One week? Surely you haven't leased out every single one of these apartments!" Chieko nodded.

"As a matter of fact, I have. This old lady can run quite the business! However, a week ago, one of the renters gave a two week notice saying they'll be moving. Once he's out, you can have the apartment." Emiko sighed, but quickly smiled.

"That sounds perfect, thanks Granny. I'll just camp somewhere else while I wait for that room." Chieko chuckled once more, getting up briefly, only to bring a plate of assorted treats to the table. Emiko grinned jovially.

"Granny, you're the best!"


	4. Home

A figure stood in the hallway of a drab apartment building, raising a pale hand to a drab door. Three loud raps echoed throughout the hallway, and the pale hand fell to the side of its' beholder, who silently waited for an answer from the owner of the apartment.

However, no answer came.

There was silence for a few more seconds, before the pale hand was raised once more, furiously banging against the door.

"DAMMIT WOMAN, I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE. STOP IGNORING ME, OR I'LL BREAK THIS DOOR DOWN." Emiko's voice ripped from her throat. She had come with the full intention of being extremely patient and nice, as she needed a rather large favor. However, that plan had only lasted about ten seconds.

Just as Emiko let out a curse, and wound back, preparing to knock the door of its hinges, she heard the click of a lock being undone, and the door swung open to reveal a rather disheveled Anko. She had answered the door in simple black capris and a fishnet shirt; her hair was messy and sticking up in every direction and her expression was of exhaustion laced with anger.

"Who the fu-" She started to swear, then locked exhausted eyes with Emiko. She blinked three times, shook her head, and launched back into speech.

"Emiko, you know how much I hate being woken up this early. It's great to see ya and all, but you couldn't have picked a better time?" She muttered grouchily, though her eyes shone with a hint of happiness of seeing her friend again.

"… Anko dearest, I like sleeping in just as much as you do, but it's nearing dinner time now." Emiko stated with an amused grin. Anko poked her head further out of the apartment to take a peek at the street below. The sun's position confirmed Emiko's words. The kunoichi sighed, and opened her door to let Emiko in.

"So it is… You win this round, Miwaku. Come on in for a bit." Emiko let out a guffaw and followed Anko into the apartment. In contrast to the dreary and dank hallway, Anko's living room was surprisingly warm and inviting. There was a comfy loveseat with a matching recliner circled around a coffee table, inviting them to sit down. Emiko took the loveseat.

"So, to what do I owe this honor? Word on the street was that you had gone and got yourself killed or something." Anko said, the corners of her mouth twitching. Emiko frowned.

"And you believed that? I find your lack of faith disturbing…" Anko shrugged, raising an eyebrow.

"You're avoid the question, _Emiko dearest_." she said, emphasizing on Emiko's own words. Emiko shifted her gaze.

"Weeeeell, you seeeeee… Seeing as I JUST got back earlier todaaay… Livingarrangementscan'." She said it all in one breath, finishing with a cough. Anko looked at her like she'd grown a third eye.

"Absolutely not."

"WHAAAT? WHY NOT!"

"We tried this once before. You're an absolute nightmare to live with… no offense or anything." She finished with a cheeky grin. Emiko scowled, and mumbled grouchily under her breath for a second before replying.

"But, Ankoooooooo! I have nowhere else to goooooo…" She tried her best to make some sort of pathetic puppy dog look. She was unsuccessful; Anko showed no pity.

"Not my problem. You're my best girl and everything, but I will not tolerate you being in my house. Ask someone else."

Emiko hung her head. There weren't many other people who would take her in for a week. While she wouldn't admit it, Anko was right about her being a nightmare to live with. She sat, pondering who else she could visit, when Anko spoke up again, interrupting her thoughts.

"… You could go ask Gai. He'd take you." She announced mischievously. Emiko's eyes widened in fear.

"Aw, HELL NAW. THAT'S CROSSING TOO MANY LINES, ANKO." Anko burst out laughing at Emiko's terrified expression. They both knew all too well how Gai could be. Spending a week with him would be… bad.

Still chuckling slightly, Anko made another suggestion, "Just go ask Kakashi. He'd let you share his bed and everything." She stated, a glint in her eye that was all too familiar to Emiko.

She was suggesting something.

Emiko pulled a disgusted expression, "Remember what I said about crossing too many lines…" She expected Anko to laugh again, but instead, she just continued looking at her, that glint remaining in her eye.

"Oh, come on. You must've seen him already today. I'm surprised he didn't whisk you away and insist you never leave his line of sight again." Emiko just blinked blankly at her.

"I don't understand what you're trying to say here."

Anko groaned, the glint sliding away as she slid her hand down her face. "Nevermind. Just go run off to Kakashi and insist on him giving you a place to say. He'll do it." Emiko paused for a moment, then shrugged, a smile on her face.

"You are most right. How can anyone refuse me?... Except you. You're just not normal." Anko rolled her eyes, but smiled all the same.

"Yeah, yeah. Keep telling yourself that," she said, getting to her feet. She then yanked Emiko up and shoved her towards the door.

"And seeing as you obviously only came here to try and mooch my couch off me for a while, you've finished what you came here for. Get the hell out of my apartment. It's my day off, and I'm going back to sleep."

Emiko babbled, throwing in things like the fact she also came because she missed her, but Anko just shrugged, pushing her into the hallway.

"Of course you did. Everyone does. We'll catch up another time though. I need to catch some Zz's. BYE!"

And with that, the door was unceremoniously shut in Emiko's face.

;

_A girl, who looked as though she was in her young teens, approached a rather drab looking door. She knocked three times, and dropped her hand, waiting for an answer from the owner of the apartment. The door sprung open a few seconds later. Anko's eyes opened in surprise, before she settled on a sad smile. _

_"Hey, Em. How you holding up?" This, apparently was not the right thing to say. The content smile that had been resting on Emiko's face disappeared instantly, her eyes looking moist inexplicably quickly. Anko, recoiled, a little of her own smile sliding away. _

_"… I'm fine. I need to ask you a favor though." Anko raised an eyebrow, indicating for Emiko to continue. _

_"… I just sold my parent's house. I didn't want to stay there anymore. The hokage's arranging an apartment for me, but until then, I need to stay somewhere else for a few nights…" Anko caught on immediately, and a wide grin spread across her face. _

_"Say no more! You can of course, crash here. I got lots of space for just the two of us. You're welcome as long as you need." Emiko lit up, though her eyes still held sadness. _

_"Thanks, Anko."_

_..._

_Anko hummed, fumbling for her keys, two grocery bags clutched in her arms; she successfully managed to shamble through the door and shut it behind her. She then turned around to face her home, and abruptly dropped her shopping. _

_"WHAT THE HELL-"_

_Clothes and various other things Emiko owned were strewn all over the couch and furniture. Of course, the brown-haired kunoichi herself was nowhere to be found. Anko scowled, picking up her groceries and shuffling towards the kitchen. However, there were further horrors there. Dishes cluttered in the sink, all of them with some sort of food residue on them. The milk was left on the counter, along with several mysterious cooking ingredients. She curiously lifted the carton; it was warm. She hated when milk was left out of the fridge._

_She sighed, turning to said fridge to replace the milk in it. She gasped when she opened it. It was empty. Granted, she just went shopping, but she still had lots of food in there yesterday!_

_Her eyes widened, taking in the whole impact her apartment had taken. _

_"S-She's only been here for one day…"_

;

A pale hand rose to a drab door and rapped three times once more for the day.

"Baka-Kaka! You home?" Emiko cried at the door, folding her arms across her chest. She waited a few second, but no answer came. She closed her eyes and focused; Kakashi's chakra signature was one of the few she knew very well. However, she didn't sense it anywhere near. Sighing, she leaned her back against the wall, before slowly sliding down into a sitting position. She closed her eyes, not having much else to do and was soon lost in her thoughts. It was amazing to be back in Konoha; it was nearly peculiar being able to remain relaxed as opposed to constantly on the alert. Emiko's mind and body had taken a serious toll throughout the past years. Her mind brought up images of her favorite memories in Konoha, and lightly smiling to herself, she accidentally fell asleep outside Kakashi's door.

…

"You're like a puppy waiting at the door for me to come home."

An amused voice woke Emiko from her nap. She whipped her head to the side, and nearly hit Kakashi's nose. He was kneeling right beside her, having said his words very loudly right in her ear. His left arm wrapped around a paper bag of groceries, laughter in his eyes. Emiko took a moment to wake her mind up, wiping her eyes and stretching while Kakashi got to his feet, and put a key in the door, chuckling the whole time.

"You never cease to amuse me, Em. What's up?" Emiko blinked, finishing collecting herself.

"Oh! Right. Well… you know how you… really like me and stuff?" Emiko started off, getting to her feet. Kakashi raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Sure…" He muttered, looking cautious.

"Weelllll… I kind of need a place to crash for about a week?" Several emotions flashed through Kakashi's eyes. There was terror, confusion, curiosity, worry, and a few others before he settled on contentment.

"I guess I don't really have a choice in the matter?" He asked. Emiko took that as an agreement to her staying.

"Hell no you don't! Let me in. I hope that's dinner you're holding." He sighed and nodded, opening the door to let her in.

"Yeah, yeah. I thought you might turn up here, for dinner at least. I got enough for both of us." Emiko grinned at him, as she threw herself on his couch, already kicking off her ninja sandals.

"You're the best, Ka~Ka~Shi~."

"I know."

He smiled back at her, placing the groceries down. He then turned to look at her.

"Now, I don't mean to be rude or anything… But kindly go make use of my shower right now. You stink. I don't want your stench on my couch." Emiko dropped her mouth in an appalled matter, causing Kakashi to slightly chuckle again. She was much too easy to get a rise out of.

"K-Kakashi! You humungous prick!" She blabbered out. Nevertheless, she attempted a discrete sniff of herself, which was still caught by Kakashi. Her look of anger was replaced by a slightly repulsed look.

"… Okay, maybe it has been a few days since my last shower… or maybe weeks…" Kakashi rolled his eyes, walking through a door opposite the kitchen which Emiko knew to be his bedroom. He emerged a second later with a bundle of fabric, and a fluffy white towel.

"Go enjoy a bath or something then. I know you must not have had the luxury of good hygiene for a while. I'll cook dinner." The fluffy white towel made contact with her face, along with what appeared to be a change of clothes. However, she let them slide into her hands without complaint, a soft smile on her face. He turned around to put something on the stove, and Emiko released a sigh, turning into the bathroom.

;

"Emiko, did you die in there or something?" Kakashi banged on the door, impatiently; she'd been in the shower for nearly an hour, and the food had been ready for a good half hour. He heard a screech, a bang, and a string of profanity before the water stopped flowing, which gave him a great sense of amusement. He decided to grab the food he just rewarmed on the stove, and put it on two plates, which he then placed on the coffee table which was surrounded by two comfy armchairs, and a long couch. Not bothering to wait for Emiko any longer, he yanked down his mask, and devoured his meal. Just as he was placing down his chopsticks and returning his mask to its' default position, the brown-haired kunoichi emerged from the bathroom, drowning in navy fabric.

He had given her a pair of old dark blue shorts and a matching short-sleeved shirt, hoping it would fit her better than his current stuff, but he was amused to see it was still massive on her. Her hair wet, she harrumphed, and sat next to him on the couch, giving him a grumpy look.

"You cut my shower short."

"… Short? You should consider investing in a dictionary." She just smiled dreamily at him, reaching for the plate in front of her.

"I'm sooo clean. It's a nice change." He chuckled, and proceeded to remain silent as she ate. It was just rice with fried vegetables, but her eyes widened with joy as she took a bite.

"You can _cook_! Damn, Kakashi. If you'd stop using dog shampoo, you could get a girl no problem.." Kakashi sent her an incredulous look, while she just gobbled down her food.

"...Dog shampoo? Don't be ridiculous." Emiko shrugged, sniffing her hair.

"All I know is I used your shampoo, and now my hair smells like Pakkun." He was about to retort, when he took note of her twitching lips. Of course, she was just toying with him. So, he chose to ignore her, but remained on the subject of her hair.

"You cut your hair." He stated, stopping himself as he began to reach for it. Instead, she touched it, ruffling a hand through it. Out of her ponytail, her hair showed to be just about shoulder-length, choppy layers through her thick brown locks from the crown.

Emiko paused, staring into space for a second. It was true; she had always had long hair. She had grown it out to imitate Kiyomi, and after she died… Well, it was a habit that stuck. She had loved her long hair.

"Eheh, I needed a new look I guess. I started keeping it short right after I left the village…" They both stayed silent for a second before Kakashi spoke, with that charming close-eyed smile of his.

"It looks good on you." Emiko paused, her mouth slightly agape for a second, staring at him. She then immediately collected herself.

"Yeah, I know." She replied, a grin making its way back on her face. She put down her empty plate on the table before leaning back into the couch with a loud yawn, curling into herself. Kakashi's lips curled upwards, as he stood up, bringing their dishes to the sink. As he rinsed the plates, he heard several more yawns come from the brown-haired kunoichi on his couch. Sighing to himself, he walked back over to her and grabbed her arm, pulling her up. Emiko said nothing, but gave him a strange, questioning look. He smiled that closed eye smile, gesturing towards his room.

"You haven't experienced real comfort for a while. Take my bed tonight… Just don't get too used to it." Emiko's mouth fell open slightly and she stared at him before smiling widely, her eyes trailing longingly through his open bedroom door to his slightly messy bed.

"Thank you.. Kakashi." He waved her in and watched with slight amusement as she rolled into his bed enthusiastically, nearly groaning as she sunk into the mattress. Kakashi felt his mouth twitch as he tried not to laugh at her too much. He allowed himself a small chuckle though, as he leaned against the doorframe, watching her for a moment. She hugged his blankets to herself, burying her face in his pillow.

"Mm… Goodnight, Kashi…" her muffled voice came, laced with another yawn. He sent her a soft look, sighing as he turned out and shut the door behind him.

"… Goodnight, Em."

;

Emiko breathed in the smell of Kakashi's pillow, not able to wrap the blanket tightly enough around her. It had seemed like forever since she got to sleep in a proper bed; the moment she was in right now was unbelievably great.

The bed around her smelled of forest, sweat and fresh laundry. It was an oddly comforting mix of dynamically different scents; the same scent that nearly always accompanied Kakashi's presence. She inhaled deeply, her brain barely registering what she was doing. The familiar smell of her best friend made her smile goofily to herself and made her feel… She didn't know how she felt, but there was a big ball of something bubbling in her chest.

She inhaled deeply one more time as a realm of darkness and rest enveloped her.

;

**Attention, everyone: I, NyxNightmare, am extremely lazy and possess a very short attention span.**

**Sorry this took so long. I really do feel extremely lame. However, look! A format change! Thanks to the advice of Koyuki-Rune, the flashbacks are in italics now. I hope this prevents any confusion with the flashbacks. **

**Updates will probably pick up after the next week, I hope. I've spent the month in summer school to get an extra math credit. It gets busy, I tell you.**

**Anyways, thanks very much for reading, and I'd appreciate a review. They keep my lazy butt motivated ^^; **

**-Nyx**


	5. The Leaf's Noble Gentleman

Emiko slowly began to stir, her brown locks splayed over her pillow and her limbs tangled in the sheets. Sunlight streamed through the open window, threatening to cut through her closed eyes and pierce her sleep. A light breeze swept through the room and- _'wait… open window?'_

She shot up out of her daze and quickly turned to the source of sunlight and wind. The window that was definitely closed last night was indeed open. Emiko blinked before shrugging and throwing her legs over the bed, glancing at the clock along the way.

She was slightly surprised to see it was noon already, but didn't bat an eye and leaped out of the room.

"Baka-Kakaaaaaaa!" she announced as she entered the living room. However, upon closer inspection, she found he wasn't there. Her eyes landed on a bowl on his kitchen table accompanied by a piece of paper. Eyebrow raised, she whisked herself over there to find it was a note from the copy ninja himself.

_**I tried to wake you up for breakfast, but you were in a state of semi-death, so I couldn't. I'm not fully sure if you're capable of feeding yourself, so breakfast is in the bowl. I'll be back before dinner time. **_

_**~Kakashi**_

She growled slightly at the words in the note, but looked into the bowl nonetheless. It turned out breakfast was a hefty helping of fruit salad. Laughing slightly to herself at the thought of Kakashi panicking over what would happen to his kitchen if he didn't leave food, she ate quickly before jumping into the shower.

;

Two hours later, Emiko's hands were stuffed in her pockets, a few bags hanging off her arms. After a lengthy shower, she decided to invest in a few changes of clothes. While training, she had literally learned to live with only the clothes on her back; however, now that would just be unreasonable. As she turned onto the main street, she noticed two familiar figures walking ahead. A tall man in a jounin uniform with spikey dark hair walked closely alongside a dark-haired woman. Emiko could distinctly smell cigarette smoke in the air. Cocking an eyebrow with a mischievous grin, she launched herself into the air, somersaulted over their heads, and touched ground in front of the two jounin, before throwing her arms around both of their necks and pulling them into a hug

"CIGARETTE-CHAN! KURENAI! I KNEW YOU'D END UP TOGETHER!" she squealed as they both shifted uncomfortably beneath her.

"What the- Emiko?" came a gruff voice. That was Asuma. Laughing, she got off them, placing her hands on her hips, looking at them with Pride.

"Finally admitted your deep love for each other, right? I knew it since-"

"Oh, shut up. We're not together. We're just walking." Kurenai snapped, slightly redder than she'd been a second ago. The grin slid from Emiko's face.

"Laaaaame! Also, Cigarette-chan, you're going to die one day you know." She said, gazing wisely at Asuma. Asuma shook his head in exasperation and sighed.

"It's good to see you too, Emiko… Your greetings are quite unlike anyone else's..."

Emiko grinned once more, flashing them the peace sign, "You know you love it." Kurenai got over her embarrassment and joined her grin.

"Not really, but it's good to have you back anyways. When did you retu-"

"COME ON LEE! LET THE POWER OF YOUTH DRIVE YOU! THIS IS THE LAST OF 500 LAPS!" Kurenai was cut off by a loud voice coming from behind them as Emiko paled considerably.

"Oh god, please no…" The man clad in green spandex reached them, running past with what appeared to be a mini version of himself.

"EXCUSE ME, KURENAI, ASUMA AND EMIKO- EMIKO?" Gai skidded to a stop, his youthful companion still speeding on. Gai turned to Emiko who was attempting to hide behind Asuma, shock evident in his face.

He then showed his infamous grin and gave her a thumbs up.

"Emiko, you gorgeous flower blossom of youth! Good to see you back!"

"Er… Hey, Gai…"

;

_Emiko and Kakashi sat under a tree sharing a freshly purchased box of sushi while Emiko recounted her most recent training exercises. _

_"She can be a downright nightmare, I swear! It's terrifying! You know how slow I am and how easily irked she is? Well, she wasn't in the best mood yesterday, and suddenly, she's lifting boulders above her head and whipping them at me yelling things like, 'You better learn to be fast really quick if you don't want to be boulder'd!'" Emiko shook her head, sighing as she pulled up her sleeve to reveal her bandaged arm. _

_"She didn't stop even when I did start getting hit- Oh, nothing bad happened though!" She reassured Kakashi as his eye went wide. He shook his head at how casually she seemed to take being nearly killed by boulders thrown by the legendary Tsunade herself. _

_"Still, she's training you, and that's not something to be taken lightly. Personal attention from a sannin…" He muttered, glancing at her. Emiko grinned widely, popping some salmon into her mouth. _

_"Yup! It was no easy task either. Do you have any idea how much crap I had to do before she agreed to it? Proving myself and whatno-"_

_"KAKASHI, MY ETERNAL RIVAL! We meet once more, aha! We are tied at 8 wins each, but-" He stopped, taking in Emiko's presence as he stood proudly in front of him. Emiko blinked several times at the newcomer's appearance. Clad in a green jumpsuit, his black hair was styled in a horrendous bowl cut, and his eyebrows were massive and fuzzy. She wasn't quite sure how to react to his bizarre getup or his loud arrival, so she settled for loud laughter. _

_"AHAHAHAHA. Thi-This guy can't be for real. What in the world is going on, Kaka?" She struggled her words out through her obnoxious laughing fit while Gai began to grin down at her. _

_"Kakashi! What are you doing hanging around such a wonderful flower of youth?" He dropped dramatically on one knee, with a few spins and theatrics along the way. The laughter stopped flowing from Emiko's mouth as she switched to an incredulous expression of confusion. _

_"What the fu-"_

_"My beautiful blossom! I am Might Gai, the Leaf's Noble Gentleman! What is your name?"_

_Emiko gaped at the boy's eccentric personality; and Kakashi thought _she _was weird. She shared a glance with aforementioned copy ninja to see his one visible eye sparkling with amusement. She sent him a curious look before turning her attention back to Gai. _

_"Uh… I'm Emiko Miwaku…" She said slowly, as if suddenly unsure of her name. Gai, however, seemed to think it was the most magnificent thing in the world. _

_"Emiko! A fine name indeed! Emiko, my beautiful lotus, let the flames of youth drive you forward into my arms and embrace me! Be my girlfriend and I'll protect you forever!" With that, he spread his arms wide, eagerly awaiting Emiko's hug. She however, was frozen in her spot, her jaw hanging open unattractively in disbelief. She heard Kakashi burst out laughing beside her, though he quickly turned it into a cough before Gai noticed. _

_"Uhm… No thanks…" She said, crinkling her nose. She looked at Kakashi who was struggling to remain composed. She sent him a pleading look as waterfall tears began cascading down Gai's face and he slumped forward. _

_Kakashi registered her look and pulled her to her feet, wrapping an arm around her waist and grabbing their lunch, silent laughter evident on his face, even with the mask. _

_"Well Gai, we must be going…" And with that, he pulled Emiko along with him as they disappeared in a poof of smoke, leaving Gai behind. The Leaf's Noble Gentleman widened his eyes staring at the spot Emiko and Kakashi had disappeared from, recalling the arm around her waist._

_"Are they… DAMN YOU, KAKASHI, MY ETERNAL RIVAL! I WILL NOT LOSE THIS BATTLE AGAINST YOU!" He leaped to his feet, fist in the air as fire burned in his eyes. Literally. _

_; _

_Kakashi and Emiko appeared by the KIA stone a few seconds later, Kakashi looking greatly amused and Emiko looking rather disturbed. Kakashi quickly released her and sat on the ground, gazing up at her. _

_"So… I see you've met Gai." He said, a chuckle following his words. Emiko sat down across from him, grabbing the box of sushi and stuffing some in her mouth. Between chews, she spoke. _

_"What. The hell. Was that?" She asked, still looking rather astonished. Kakashi laughed, a glint in his eyes. _

_"You heard him, didn't you? That was the Leaf's Noble Gentleman…"_

;

"When did you return, Emiko? Did you get lots of training done? We must have a battle to see who has improved more! Afterwards, we can go to dinner as well!" He sent her an obvious wink; however, she was fixated on his eyebrows.

_'I-… I think they got bigger…'_

"Uh… yeah, about that…" Kurenai could sense Emiko's discomfort, and a dark look crossed her face.

"Well, Emiko, clearly you have some catching up to do here, so we'll just have to meet up another time…" Before Emiko could even send her a proper look of horror, Kurenai gave an evil smirk and tugging on Asuma's shirt before they both disappeared in a poof of smoke. Emiko then had no choice but to turn back to Gai who was still winking with his thumb in her face.

"We can even do it tonight if you wish!" He pressed on. Emiko blanched at the thought. She had already been roped into one date with Gai before, and that was definitely a terrifying experience that would forever scar her.

"CAN'T, I HAVE DINNER PLANS, SORRY!" She said in a panic, nearly yelling. Gai merely looked curious.

"Oh? With who?" He requested, his arm dropping to his side in a dejected manner. Emiko yelled the first name that came to mind.

"KAKASHI. I mean, yeah, ehem. Kakashi. I haven't properly had a good catch up with him yet. In fact, I think I sense him needing me right now. It's my woman's intuition. I think he's this way-" She quickly said, pointing in a random direction.

"And uhm… Gee, I better go find him! Bye!" And with that, she left Gai behind as she sped off in her random direction. Gai didn't follow her, but rather gained a familiar flame in his eyes.

"GACK! Damn you and your coolness, Kakashi! I will not lose!"

;

Emiko slowly found herself able to slow down, as Gai hadn't pursued her. She glanced around at where she had ended up and was surprised to find it was an area she knew rather well.

_'Ah… the academy…'_

She smiled as she allowed herself to walk around the building, memories flooding her mind's eye. Or, they were, until she heard a familiar voice.

"Just ten minute break, and then we're reviewing the chakra system!" A man had come out of the academy and held the door for the students as they raced out towards the playground. Joy overtook Emiko's expression as she immediately ran over.

"Irukaaaaaa!" She yelled, practically bouncing in front of him. Said chunin looked rather taken aback for a second as he closed the door behind the last student.

"Em-Emiko? I haven't seen you for years, welcome back!" He drew her into a quick friendly hug before pushing her back, taking in her appearance.

"You sure look different. You cut your hair, you're not wearing anything purple… and you just _seem _tougher!" He said, chuckling a bit. Emiko smiled up at him, being a few inches shorter.

"About time someone's noticed it. You, however, haven't changed at all. Except for the fact you're training little goobers now." She said, jabbing a thumb towards the students who were now playing around for their recess. Iruka chuckled, sweat-dropping a little.

"You know, you were like that once too..." Emiko frantically shook her head.

"Nope. Uh-uh. I was never a little goober. I was an excellent child! Filled with knowledge, skill, and non-goober-ness." She stated wisely, showing Iruka a reprimanding finger. He just shook his head.

"Yeah, sure, whatever you say… So, when did you get back?" He asked, changing the subject away from academy students. Emiko smiled widely as she replied.

"Just yesterday! And boy, am I glad to be back. I didn't realize how homesick I was." Iruka smiled back at her.

"Well, it is good to see you. How much training did you get done?"

"Lots! I could kick your butt to Suna and back with all my new skills!" She declared proudly, hitting a fist against her open palm. Just as Iruka began to chuckle, a scuffle broke out in the play yard, causing both of them to look over, Emiko crinkling her nose.

"I'll leave you to your goobers, Iruka. I just keep bumping into people today, so if I wander around more, I'm bound to find some old friends." with that, she gave him a smile before turning on her heel and walking the way she came. As she left, Iruka gazed after her fondly with a soft look in his eyes.

Even though Emiko was a year older than him, he had always viewed her as a little sister growing up. She was always childish, and after he became a genin, he was slightly more mature. He was snapped out of his reminiscent trance as more yells broke out from the play yard. Sighing, he whipped around, jogging towards it.

"Hey, break it up!"

;

_'Man… I know I missed Konoha and all, but there really isn't much to do…'_

Emiko had been wandering the main streets for a while, her hands thrown behind her head as she took in what Konoha had to offer; which wasn't much in her current bored state. She had already sprinted back to Kakashi's apartment so she could drop off her new clothes and was out of things to do with herself beside wander around and be nostalgic.

Luckily, a vaguely familiar voice came from behind her, breaking the monotony.

"Hey! Isn't that Kakashi-sensei's girlfriend?" Cocking a brow, Emiko turned around to see the genin of team seven walking towards her, Kakashi taking the rear with his nose in something called 'Icha Icha Paradise'. Emiko made a mental note to ask about that later.

It was obviously Naruto who yelled it, so Emiko faced him, eyebrow still pulling towards her hairline.

"Girlfriend…?" Before he could reply, Kakashi cut in, shoving his orange book into his back pouch.

"Ignore Naruto; he's the idiot of the group." Naruto wheeled on him shouting random things while Sakura gave Emiko a kind smile.

"We just completed a mission and we're on our way to training." She said, explaining why they were walking around together. Emiko nodded, lifting Naruto away from Kakashi by the collar of his jacket.

"Alright kiddo, calm your shit. I used to get that all the time, so you know what you have to do to stop being called an idiot?" Naruto stopped flailing, looking around at her curiously.

"Prove them wrong." Naruto's mouth opened slightly, but Emiko dropped him on his ass at that moment, breaking his momentary silence.

"HEY, what was that for?-"

"Em, you gonna come watch these kids train?" Kakashi cut in, looking rather bored. Emiko sent him a slightly repulsed look.

"Listen, I like training just as much as the next jounin, but I just spent the last one thousand, six hundred and thirty seven days of my life doing such." She stated. Naruto looked excited at the prospect of so many days spent training.

"Wow, so you must be really strong, right?" Emiko gave a cocky grin, placing her hands on her hips looking rather proud.

"Damn straight, kid. I bet I could even kick Kakashi's stupid butt." At that, even Sakura and Sasuke looked slightly intrigued, but Kakashi snorted.

"Haven't lost any of that modesty, I see. If you're so strong, surely you wouldn't mind sparring with these guys, right?"

Emiko twitched, torn between being lazy and taking on an obvious challenge from Kakashi. It took her a second, but then…

"…. Sure, why not. I guess I don't really have anything better to do…" She said with a shrug, trying to act casual. Kakashi contained a smirk and continued walking.

"To the training grounds then."

;

All the way to the training grounds, the three genin managed to argue; or rather, Naruto argued with Sasuke, who tried to ignore him, and Sakura argued with Naruto, who refused to argue back to her. Emiko watched them all with interest, falling rarely quiet as she walked beside Kakashi behind them.

"Are they always like this..?" She wondered aloud. Kakashi nodded with a slight chuckle.

"Pretty much. It must bring back memories for you." He said, glancing at her. Emiko smiled without realizing it, thinking back to how she, like Naruto, was the cause of her whole team arguing.

"You could say that, I suppose." She murmured. Soon after that, they arrived at the training field. Kakashi casually leaned against a tree to spectate while Emiko stood in the middle of the training ground, hands on her hips, proudly wearing a smirk. The three genin lined up in front of her, waiting for instruction. It was Kakashi who gave it.

"Alright, the time limit's half an hour. I'm going to watch and see how much you guys have improved. If you guys can get a bell from Emiko, I'll treat you all to ramen."

Team seven looked surprised at the mention of bells, but Emiko just seemed confused.

"What bell?" she questioned, glancing at the silver haired jounin. At her words, he pulled two silver bells from his pocket and tossed them to her.

"Emiko, you should remember me telling you about this test back when I was a genin. These guys took the same test to determine if they'd form a team or not. They know the true purpose behind it now, but they can still serve a purpose to test how their skills have improved. You can tell them when to start, but I'll keep track of time." He said, crossing his arms.

Emiko shrugged and attached the bells to her ankle before standing up straight and facing the genin.

"Alright, you heard the man. Just one of you needs to get a bell to get free ramen. Come at me with all you got, yadda yadda. You know the drill. Teamwork's essential and all that. SO. Uh, without further ado… go?" She finished lamely, crossing her arms over her chest. The three genin instantly disappeared into the surrounding trees.

;

**I am the queen of procrastination and producing chapters with absolutely no action.**

**I really do promise the story will pick up. I'm just trying to get all the introductory crap over and done with. But hey, next chapter has a fight! That's exciting, right?...**

**Anyways, thanks for reading, feedback appreciated, all that jazz… I actually would like to thank everyone who's been reviewing and adding to their favorites and everything. You have no idea how incredibly happy it makes me when I get an email alerting me of such. YOU GUYS ARE MY FAVORITE. **

**A quick request though. If you're into Naruto stories with OCs, please check out the poll on my profile. I have a short attention span and like to have multiple stories going, so I have another one in the works. I'm super excited to write it, but I haven't decided on a pairing. So, if you're interested, go vote! I'll love you forever. **

**So, that's it. Again, thanks for reading (especially if you made it this far into the Author's note).**

**-Nyx**


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